Audi doodle - Glass and steel coil around Audi exhibit - Brief Article

Architectural Review, The, Dec, 1999

At the recent Frankfurt Trade Fair the Audi exhibits were to be seen within the embrace of this sinuous structure of glass and steel.

Cars aside, the most spectacular sight at the 1999 Frankfurt Trade Fair was the Audi stand, where Ingenhoven Overdiek & Partner's tensile creation formed a continuous serpentine coil of glass and steel round the exhibits.

Curved in plan and section, the 6m high structure consisted of triangular panels of glass bolted to nodes of a steel wire mesh, the whole crystalline curtain being suspended from a tubular stainless steel frame studded with glass beads. The floor, covered with white oak panels, had a border of oak boards. Curving gently up to meet the base of the wall, the border followed its peripheral undulations. Detailing of the billowing translucent boundaries was immaculate.

'The Loop' divided the stand into inner and outer zones. The inner one, devoted to exhibition, had five bays, each dedicated to a particular group of vehicles and given its own ambience by music and film. Over the course of the day, coloured light and changing images -- abstract shapes drawn from nature -- were projected on to the scintillating walls to the accompaniment of equally abstract, minimalist music. The Loop was broached by arched gateways, and visitors encouraged to explore the stand as if in a game. Transition points were marked by a change in the glass -- gateways being given abstract surrounds of opaque rather than transparent panels.

Set within the outer bays were various functional zones -- the technology and engine galleries and service centre. Separate two-storey structures housing VIPs', visitors' and dealers' quarters, technical areas and so on, gave access to terraces with views over the whole marvellous contraption.

Architect

Ingenhoven Overdiek und Partner

Project architects

Christoph Ingenhoven, Jurgen Overdiek, Michael ReiB, Andreas Blum, Karan Dajalei, Holger Gravius, Manfred Junghans, Lyiang Guo, Florian Nedden, Udo Rex, Herwig Rott, Ingrid Solken, Andrea Thoma, Maximo Victoria, Christina Zippel

Structural engineer

Werner Sobek Ingenieure

Lighting

Werning Tropp und Partner

Film and music

Velvet